How did the germans do that?

On their U-Boats
1. Where were the external reserve torps stored? and
2. How did they retrieve them?

[pythos]

They were stored in waterproof containers mounted to the outside of the pressure hull top, inside the outer hull. The retrieved them by actually setting up a loading hoist, lifting the container out on a tilt, and pulling the torpedo, warehead and all, out of the container, and down the loading hatch. The type IX had rails on which the torpedos could be rolled on for removal and loading, so ones stored in the front of the boat could be sent to the stearn, and vise versa. (Sh3 and Sh4 UBM got this wrong with the type IX, and limit where you can have the reserve torps loaded.) This was done at sea, at very slow speed or hove to. The seas needed to be quite calm as well.

If you think that is something look at a picture of a torpedo being transfered from one boat to another. Quite something.

Thanks alot.

[bigboywooly]

Like this

[HunterICX]

On that photo , you start to realize how big those suckers are...damn!

HunterICX

[Sailor Steve]

This is too cool! I was looking for a diagram someone posted years ago (couldn't find it - sorry) and I came across a model company selling add-on stuff for Revell's 1/72-scale U-boat. If you scroll down the list you'll find detail sets for German crew reloading torpedoes! Click on their links and you'll see pictures!
http://www.michtoy.com/MTSCnewSite/p...h_masters.html

[bigboywooly]

Have got a couple more somewhere
Have one of them floating a torp over in a dinghy as well

Will hunt them out

In the meantime some resupply shots
U564

[DavyJonesFootlocker]

Geez, no wonder they lost the war.:rotfl:

[bigboywooly]

Nope you are quite correct Mikhayl

Only steamers in external stowage for that very reason

[Hartmann]

U.S Fleet boats can have all loaded inside of the sub :hmm: a very big difference in the late years of the war.

[Mehring1917]

Interesting. So is it realistic to partly load an external torpedo, interrupt the loading and then continue from where you left off as you can in sH4 or would it make more sense to lose the torpedo if the process is interrupted?

[bigboywooly]

Definately
A lot of boats sailed with no externals late war as couldnt risk being surfaced to pull them in
Only so much a snorkel could do

I read somewhere yesterday - think it was one of the crew interogations over on http://www.uboatarchive.net/ that the Germans were testing underwater refuelling from milkcows etc

When you can control the skies you can control all underneath

[bigboywooly]

Originally Posted by Mehring1917

Interesting. So is it realistic to partly load an external torpedo, interrupt the loading and then continue from where you left off as you can in sH4 or would it make more sense to lose the torpedo if the process is interrupted?

Well if you had a torp out of the external container and came under attack the torp would be lost
Safety of the boat came first